
In Japan, a manga artist has predicted a disaster in early July, causing a drop in tourism
Brace yourselves, tourists! A major disaster is set to strike Japan on July 5. On that day, according to a vision by mangaka Ryo Tatsuki, "the ocean floor between Japan and the Philippines will crack. Huge waves will rise in all directions. Tsunamis will devastate the Pacific Rim countries. A tsunami three times higher than that of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 will strike the Southwest of the country."
Revealed in one of her works, this vision has, since the beginning of the year, fueled real panic outside of Japan and has even led thousands of Taiwanese, Chinese and South Korean tourists to cancel their summer trips. The department of Tottori (Southwest Japan) reported in May a nearly 50% drop in bookings from Hong Kong. "Interest in coming to Japan is waning. The impact of the rumor is undeniable," admitted Governor Shinji Hirai.

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Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
Passenger plane with 49 aboard goes missing in Russia's Far East
A Russian passenger plane carrying 49 people disappeared off the radar over the Amur region in the country's Far East, local officials said on Thursday. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Antonov An-24 passenger plane, operated by Angara, a Siberia-based airline, when it was approaching its destination. The flight departed from the city of Blagoveshchensk on the Russian-Chinese border to the town of Tynda. According to preliminary data, 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members were on board, regional governor Vasily Orlov said. "All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane," he wrote on Telegram. This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates.

LeMonde
2 days ago
- LeMonde
Montmartre residents denounce the Paris neighborhood's 'Disneyfication'
From the public bench on Place Dalida, just behind the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, one can witness a peculiar spectacle at any time of day. Dozens of Spanish, Indian, Chinese and American tourists line up to pose next to the statue of the singer Dalida. Not just any pose: Each holds her breasts. The gesture is unusual and the faces are laughing, as stroking Dalida's chest is said to bring good luck in love. On Rue de l'Abreuvoir, the same lines of tourists form – this time, to snap a photo in front of La Maison Rose, a café featured in the American series Emily in Paris. Further down, on Rue des Trois-Frères, another queue blocks a narrow sidewalk: It's for the vintage photo booth, a social media sensation. Three places Emily forgot to visit in Paris The Carnavalet Museum Anyone who loves Paris should go here. Dedicated to the history of the capital, the beautiful building in the Marais reopened in 2021 after four and a half years of work. On the first floor, the collection of signs recalls the city's commercial vocation, long before the high-end brands Emily loved: Au griffon (furniture dealer), A la couronne d'or (innkeeper), and so on. In the garden, a tempting café would be an ideal setting for the series. 23, rue de Sévigné, Paris 3 e. Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. Free admission for the permanent collections. The National Museum of the Middle Ages Not far from Emily's home, this institution reopened in 2022, after... eleven years of work. After the kiss given to Gabriel under the big clock at the Musée d'Orsay, the American could take her new darling, Alfie, there. We're pretty sure she'd love the hyper-stylized lady with the unicorn on her large six-panel tapestry. As for the frigidarium, it is a unique testimony to Gallo-Roman baths, even before the advent of the Middle Ages. Paris was then Lutetia. 28, rue du Sommerard, Paris 5 e. Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 am to 6:15 pm. From €10 to €12. Bourse de commerce - Pinault Collection At Les Halles, the Bourse de Commerce has long remained closed to visitors. Since 2021, the billionaire François Pinault, owner of Gucci (Emily is wearing a Gucci bag), has been the tenant for fifty years. He exhibits part of his contemporary art collection there. Restored and transformed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the site is also worth seeing for its spectacular glass dome, around which wraps the allegorical fresco of world trade created in the 19 th century by four different painters. 2, rue de Viarmes, Paris 1 er. Wednesday to Monday, 11 am to 7 pm. From €10 to €14. Welcome to photogenic Montmartre, with its hidden gardens, windmills, vineyard, funicular, street artists – and millions of visitors from around the globe. In this neighborhood where ice cream, crêpe and miniature Eiffel Tower vendors thrive, even the traffic seems orchestrated by Disneyland. Sidecars, 2CVs, Méharis and tuk-tuks crisscross the Butte for a few dozen euros per person, crossing paths with tourist trains – there are five in total. But in recent months, a fracture has appeared in this fairy-tale setting. In this neighborhood of 27,000 residents, banners have popped up in windows: "Residents forgotten!"; "Let Montmartre residents live"; "Behind these facades, there are people." School buildings display signs: "No to class closures!" Street signs announcing pedestrianization have been spray-painted with "Stop." In just a few months, overtourism in Montmartre has become a political issue, taken up by residents' associations, business owners and elected officials from across the political spectrum.


Euronews
18-07-2025
- Euronews
North Korea halts foreign tourism at beach resort weeks after opening
North Korea has suspended the entry of foreign visitors to its new beach resort in Wonsan-Kalma, only weeks after opening the site to domestic tourists and a small group of Russians, state-run tourism website DPR Korea Tour announced Wednesday. The eastern coastal complex, which Pyongyang claims can accommodate up to 20,000 guests, had been promoted by leader Kim Jong-un as 'one of the greatest successes this year.' However, the site is now 'temporarily not receiving foreign tourists,' the statement read, without providing a reason or indicating when the ban might be lifted. The announcement follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent visit to the complex for talks with Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. Lavrov had voiced optimism about boosting Russian tourism to the area, saying, 'I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here.' Yet analysts suggest Pyongyang may have imposed the suspension after a Russian journalist's article implied that local North Koreans at the site appeared to be organised by authorities rather than genuine holidaymakers. 'The North Korean government is believed to have determined that it would face some negative consequences when it opens the site to foreigners,' said Oh Gyeong-seob of Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification. Lee Sangkeun of the Institute for National Security Strategy in Seoul added that the decision might also be linked to difficulties in attracting Russian tourists, given the site's distance and travel costs. Experts, however, believe the ban is likely to be short-lived. The Wonsan-Kalma development — believed to have required substantial investment from North Korea's already strained economy — was intended to generate foreign currency through tourism. 'If foreign tourists aren't allowed to the site, no Russian rubles, Chinese yuan and dollars will come in. Then, North Korea can't break even and it has to shut down the resort,' said Ahn Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies. Although the resort has been bustling with domestic visitors, there has been no confirmation of when broader international tourism will resume. Group tours from China, which accounted for over 90% of visitors before the COVID-19 pandemic, have yet to restart. Kim has previously hailed the Wonsan-Kalma resort as 'the proud first step' in revitalising the country's tourism sector.